Raimondo not deterred by recent poll numbers

Tuesday

Mar 13, 2018 at 12:01 AMMar 13, 2018 at 12:30 AM

NEWPORT, R.I. — The poll numbers indicate there’s not a lot of support for the job Gov. Gina Raimondo is doing these days for the Ocean State.

Still, the governor came out swinging Monday morning at a Newport County Chamber of Commerce pancake breakfast at the Newport Marriott — without specifically addressing a recent WPRI-Roger Williams University survey.

An upbeat Raimondo ticked off statistics she said show Rhode Island is on the rise.

Raimondo noted the state unemployment rate, which has been among the nation’s worst in recent years, is now at the national average of about 4.2 percent and indicators show Rhode Island is heading in the right direction.

Citing the addition of 25 companies, investment of tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure and a 43 percent rise in enrollment at the Community College of Rhode Island that she credited to her “Promise Act” that offers free tuition, Raimondo said the state has to keep things moving.

And although Raimondo hasn’t formally announced she’s running for a second term, she sounded very much like a candidate ready to campaign.

“This didn’t happen by accident,” Raimondo said. “It doesn’t just happen that things get better. It happens because we, all of us in this room, have gotten together and decided we’re going to be part of the solution and we’re going to make some changes. My message this morning is, ‘Let’s keep going.’”

Raimondo received a warm reception from the near-capacity crowd in the upstairs Salon IV conference room of the downtown hotel.

Emera Energy President and Chief Operating Officer Judy Steele introduced Raimondo, saying if there were more governors like her, more would be getting done across the country.

The Nova Scotia, Canada-based Emera has sponsored the pancake breakfasts. Steele said Emera owns Tiverton Power, a 265-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in Tiverton, along with other holdings across North America.

“I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the governor previously and was impressed by her brainpower and energy, as well as her thoughtfulness about issues and public policy,” Steele said. “On matters of energy, she is knowledgeable and forward-thinking, comfortable asking tough questions about a complicated subject and then listening to really understand the answer.

“Most of you in this room already know that Gov. Raimondo is a tireless advocate for Rhode Island,” Steele said. “After taking office as the 75th and first female governor of Rhode Island in 2015, Gov. Raimondo made it her top priority to rebuild the middle class and make opportunity for everyone by shaking up the status quo and helping people develop the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century.”

But according to the WPRI-Roger Williams University poll that was released last week, Raimondo isn’t registering with many across the state. Those figures show she had a 37 percent job-approval rating, which is a slight lead over Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, a Republican who is running for governor for the second time.

Before Raimondo’s arrival, players in the local political and business scene hobnobbed over pastry and pancakes, catching up on the latest with Monday night’s approaching winter storm. The list included former Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, who sat between current Rep. Marvin Abney, D-Newport, and Sen. Louis DiPalma, D-Middletown.

In her comments, Raimondo focused on seeking support from business and political leaders for three initiatives now before the General Assembly.

The first she discussed was known as “Supply RI,” a program she said could help keep millions of dollars in the state by making it easier for big and small businesses to work with each other.

That meshed with another Raimondo proposal, where she said roadblocks for small manufacturers buying equipment and training workers would be eliminated.

“The focus is on existing small businesses in Rhode Island, with a focus on our strengths, which is manufacturing,” Raimondo said. “It is true, as I’ve often said, my father’s style of manufacturing isn’t coming back to Rhode Island — low-skill, low-wage manufacturing — but higher-skill, higher-wage manufacturing is coming back to America and there’s no place better … in America to do this than in Rhode Island. We’re trying to make it a little easier for these small companies to grow.”

Then she put in a pitch for the much-discussed $1 billion in bond money she said would be used to fix Rhode Island’s schools, subject to voter approval on Nov. 6.

Asking for a show of hands in the audience of how many people had been to Rogers High School recently and whether they were graduates, Raimondo joked the Wickham Road school didn’t look much different these days.

A recent state school facilities report indicated Rogers is in such bad shape that it needs more than $51 million in repairs over the next five years, leaving city leaders wondering how to address the need.

“It’s not just Newport,” Raimondo said. “Every single city and town, everyone. Barrington and East Greenwich and Bristol to Central Falls, Providence, Pawtucket and everything in between, our schools are falling apart and our kids deserve better.

“I am sick and tired of walking into school buildings, which I do all the time, on a rainy day (and) seeing a bucket, trash bag or a trash can in the foyer collecting water from the hole in the ceiling,” she said. “Teachers deserve better. It’s demoralizing to go to work in a building where the paint is peeling off the walls and the ceiling is caving in.”

But Raimondo said it isn’t just quality-of-life and health issues that are in play with aging school buildings. She said newer schools also are built in a way that’s safer from gun violence.

Raimondo said despite what some say, most teachers don’t think arming them is the way to go.

“Last week, I had the opportunity to have a meeting with a couple dozen teachers,” Raimondo said. “They’re afraid. We need to support them. Don’t give teachers guns. Give teachers supplies and support. Give them a new, safe school where they can do their job.”

She wrapped up her comments by applauding Newport and its neighbors for its hard work with tourism, one of the linchpins of the Rhode Island economy.

She said many of her colleagues across the country were impressed by Newport when they visited last summer for a national governors’ conference. Several have said they will return to Rhode Island this summer and are spreading the word about what a great place it is.

“I’m a believer in tourism as a key piece of the puzzle of our economy,” Raimondo said. “As I’ve always said, we need jobs at every level, manufacturing, technology, small business, but tourism matters … Last summer, we broke every record in terms of tourism, number of visitors, amount of revenue, number of jobs.”

Sheley@NewportRI.com

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